Glory, Lightning
by Min Daae
Summary: After the end. Mai reappears, Katara is defensive, and Sokka is surprisingly aware of the situation. Zuko's just unconscious, and manages to make it all about him anyway.


She stared down at the awful red mark (so close to his heart, spirits _no_) and his stillness (Zuko, still? Zuko was never still) as she drew her hands away, the healing water dripping from her hands, and drew in a deep, sobbing breath, afraid it hadn't been enough.

Then he opened his eyes and stared at her, and if they were bleary and glazed at least they were open and alive. She held her breath until he licked his lips and whispered hoarsely, "Katara?"

"Sometimes you are just so – _stupid,_" Katara said, a few tears slipping out of her eyes despite her best efforts, and she thought she saw his mouth quirk in a tiny smile before his eyes closed and his face went slack again.

Aang was still fighting somewhere, and so were the others. But she couldn't leave. She pulled Zuko's head into her lap and pushed his hair off his sweaty forehead. There were already running feet on their way.

Azula's screams, she ignored.

When the guards arrived, she looked up at them, her eyes like ice as they fell into bending stances. "Stop that," she said, her voice more peevish than commanding, and when they hesitated, drew herself up and attempted to put a note of authority in her voice, glancing down at Zuko's tight expression for courage. "Your Fire Lord needs help. Help me take him to the infirmary."

She paused as Azula screamed again and the guards' heads turned, staring. "And do something about her," Katara added, more as an afterthought than anything.

~.~

Katara had no idea whatsoever why they obeyed her, but they did, picking up Zuko's limp body, if less gently than she would have liked, and bearing him to what did indeed seem to be the infirmary and not, as she had half expected, a prison cell.

She could hear them whispering – _Fire Lord? Does that mean- _and chose to ignore their curious stares, focusing on Zuko's pale face and still-terrible stillness, thinking of Aang and praying that she was right.

She sat next to Zuko's bed and watched the man who seemed to be the chief healer of this place fuss confusedly over his body. "Unbelievable," he was saying, "Lightning, you say? It'd require a miracle…"

A miracle, she thought. They all needed a miracle.

But at least he was still breathing.

The others came only an hour later, running in out of breath, Sokka leading the way. "Katara, they said you were in the infirmary," he said, and then took a sharp breath when his eyes slipped sideways to Zuko lying quietly on his back, the white sheet pulled up to his chest, covering the livid mark.

"What?" Toph asked peevishly, "What is it?" But Katara was looking over both their shoulders as Aang stepped into the room.

He looked exhausted, dirty, and bruised, but alive, and that told her everything she needed to know. For the second time, her eyes welled up with tears and she shoved by her brother to throw her arms around him.

"Aang," she said, simply, and managed to communicate, somehow, everything she wanted to say.

"It's over," Aang said softly, with the tiniest of smiles, and then his expression smoothed out again to a frown as he looked over toward the bed. "What happened to Zuko? Is he-"

Toph's head snapped around, and Katara thought she heard a faint note of panic in her voice. "Wait – is he what?"

"He's fine," Katara said, soothingly, at the same time as Sokka, who had crept forward and was now peering down at Zuko with an expression peculiarly like concern, corrected, "He's alive," voice shamefully grim.

"Katara," said Aang, brows furrowing, "What happened? Is Azula-"

"She's alive," Katara said, quickly, and retreated back to the bedside, glaring at Sokka. "It was – she cheated. Shot lightning at me-"

"She did _what!_"

Katara looked down. "Zuko took it for me. I think he was trying to redirect it, but it didn't…quite work."

Aang's expression went from furious to worried, and he stepped forward, pulled the sheet down just a few inches. Katara looked away from the mark that would be another violent scar, but she heard Sokka suck in his breath through his teeth. Toph pushed Aang out of the way and reached out, her fingers brushing still raw flesh. Zuko didn't even flinch, but Toph did.

"He's going to be okay?"

Sokka was shaking his head, looking – grudgingly pained. "I owe you a major one, buddy."

"I think so," Katara said, and swallowed to dislodge the lump in her throat. "He opened his eyes before. That's a good sign, right?"

"He's Zuko," said Sokka, suddenly sounding deliberately hearty. "Come on. No stupid lightning is going to keep him down. He'll be up and annoying again in no time. And the Fire Lord to boot. That's a scary thought."

Katara smacked him half-heartedly, and then they all heard someone at the door clear her throat. They looked up, and everyone simultaneously stiffened – except for Zuko, who hadn't stirred once.

The pale, willowy girl with too many knives hovered awkwardly in the doorway, and Katara could see her eyes extending past the others to Zuko. To her surprise, it was Sokka who did something.

"Anyone know where food is?" He asked, loudly. "Hey Aang, Toph, come with me. Victory makes me hungry."

"But," Toph started to say, and Katara stood up. "That sounds like a great idea, Sokka," she said loudly. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."

Toph narrowed her eyes, but let Sokka drag her out of the infirmary. Aang glanced at Katara, at Mai, and then at Zuko, then followed them out. Katara turned to face the older girl, her eyes narrowed.

"Well?" She said, icily. The girl – Mai, Katara thought she remembered she was named – drew herself up, no longer looking uncomfortable.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded dispassionately. Katara glared.

"Watching over my friend. What are _you _doing here?"

"Your _friend? _Really." Her eyes narrowed. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Do to him?" Katara's eyes widened indignantly. "I'm not going to – I just saved his _life!_" _Where were you, _she was tempted to ask, but she knew it would do no good.

"Liar," Mai accused flatly, and Katara saw a knife drop from her sleeve into her hand. She stood, falling into a bending stance. "If you're going to use him as a puppet I will-"

"_Use _him!" Katara nearly shrieked, but they were both interrupted by a faint voice from the bed.

"Mai? Katara? What's going on…"

Katara turned at once and saw to her horror that Zuko was trying to sit up and gasping for air, and she hurried over and pushed him back down. "Stop that," she said, a little more peevishly than she meant to. "You'll hurt yourself more." He made a soft and plaintive noise, one hand clutching at his chest.

"Zuko," Mai said, stepping forward almost on top of Katara, and actually looking – worried. "What happened?" She turned to Katara, her eyes narrowing as she repeated the question. "What happened?"

Katara opened her mouth to snap that it was none of Mai's business when Zuko spoke up instead. "Azula happened," he said, voice faint, barely audible. "Lightning. I couldn't redirect all of it." He closed his eyes, already looking tired again. "Sorry."

Then he was unconscious again.

Katara looked cautiously across the bed at Mai. "Who are you?" she asked again, more carefully this time.

Mai was looking down at Zuko's body, slack and worryingly still once more. (It was just healing, Katara reassured herself. He still had a long ways to go.) "His girlfriend," she said, finally, just when Katara was beginning to wonder if there would be no answer again.

"His girlfriend?" Katara narrowed her eyes. "He never mentioned you."

"He tried to dump me," Mai said, her voice decidedly cool. "It didn't work." Katara felt herself almost smile, and then they both looked away from each other. Mai fidgeted. "He's…going to survive, right?" she said, and Katara caught, just barely, a hint of worry in her voice.

Katara thought of the ugly wound (still so close to his heart) and looked at his limp, almost lifeless body, and summoned all the courage she had to nod, firmly, Suddenly she felt compassion for Mai. "Of course he will," she said with confidence she only barely felt.

Mai nodded, and looked down. Katara could tell that she wasn't used to this, and just waited, despite her uncharitable urge to be cruel. "Thank you," the other girl said, finally.

Katara just nodded, and reached out as Zuko stirred, to take his hand. "You're welcome."

After a moment, Mai reached out as well, and took his other hand. They both sat there, watching Zuko lie as still and silent underneath the white covers, and said nothing more.


End file.
